Love Through a Portrait
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Summary: SJ. Rated for foul language right now. This is the love tale of the most bitter rivals. One little task brings them close, & events afterward bring them closer. What those are... see for yourself.
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: This is Shounen ai! Male on Male stuff!

Inspiration: Idea taken from the Yu-Gi-Oh! PC game I won on Ebay on July 14, 2004: Tokidomi Rikashitsu de Matte te. Basically, as Seto Kaiba, you want to get Katsuya to fall in love with you. However, unlike the game, there aren't any side-choices or parameters. Here's the site with info on the game, though: http/fx.sakura.ne.jp/hiyu/tokidomi/ I must say, though, that the artwork is very, very beautiful. Check it out. You may also want to use Babel Fish to figure out what the Japanese saying... but some of the translations may be off, so don't follow it to the T.

I was mostly listening to "Black Wing" from the Japanese PC game "Rashiel's Riddle".

Started: 7/8/04 Finished: 7/10/04 Revised: 7/24/04

Many Japanese Romanized sentences in this chapter. Please be aware that I am not Japanese and so there's probably a lot of bad grammar in there since all I was using was Babel Fish and a Dictionary.

A double hyphen (--) means it's a long vowel. There're quite a few of those... even in "Jo--nouchi", but it's easier to use "Jounouchi."

* * *

Love Through a Portrait 

Chapter 1 - What's Up With YOU?

By Kurohi Tatsaki

* * *

Icy blue eyes met sparked chestnut ones, and locked in an instant. The blue eyes human's lips quirked up in a taunting smirk. 

Instantly, the brown eyes' spark ignited into a flame and the owner growled, "Kaiba! Would'ja knock it off!" _Why are you starin' at me, you dumbass!_

Lips tug downward in a frown. _And again, he chooses to bark at me. . ._ "Stop what?" he asked innocently, smirking and cocking his head to one side just a bit. "I'm not doing anything, puppy." _Yes, yes, of course you don't buy that, Puppy. I mean, come on. Puppies don't know how to buy things._

With a deep frown, Jounouchi Katsuya looked away as the bell rang and started to - very sloppily - scribble down the notes on the board. Kaiba copied the action quickly with just as much legibility and pulled out another sheet of paper from behind his notes and scribbled something down before wading it up and chucking it at the puppy, hitting the back of his head.

"Itai kore wa...!" he hissed, turning around to grasp the paper and snarl silently at the Kaiba Corp. President. He picked up the wad, hesitated, and opened it up as he turned his body back to the front of the classroom.

It read: "Chotto, koinu. Teme-- no hashi wo shitsutta, mata wa okubyo--monode aru ka." It basically asked if Jou was a coward or not. Or, to be more specific, it said, "Hey, puppy. Have you lost your edge, or are you a coward?"

"Kuu..." A _coward, am I! I'll show him something different this time._ He scribbled something back, crumpled it quietly, and chucked it back.

Kaiba deftly caught it just as the teacher fully turned away and opened it. It said, "Ore wa teme-- no ge--mu no tsukareteiru. Saisho-- wo iu tame ni sore wa taikutsushiteiru."

_I'm boring?_ Kaiba frowned before writing something back and chucking it so it landed in front of the pup's nose.

Opening it, the paper read in English: "Screw off."

Jou frowned and clenched his fist. _Kaaaaiba!_ he mentally growled before writing back, "Fuck you!"

Receiving the note - and catching it with ease - he read the two English words on the paper, frowned, and wrote back in Japanese, "Sorry, but I must decline. I don't want to be associated in that kind of crude manner with a mutt like you."

As soon as he read the note, Jou's body stiffened with rage. After a moment, he raised his hand, and his teacher wearily called on him.

"Hai, Jounouchi-san?" She was an old woman, about fifty years, and only had a few gray hairs sticking out amongst her lush head of back. The hair flowed down to her waist and was held back in a loose ponytail by a green scrunchie. A few stray hairs dangled into her slightly lined face.

"May I use the restroom, please?" he asked, his eyes troubled by his rival, and still on fire from his pent-up rage. He needed to get out before he did something regrettable. He felt that he'd been doing regrettable things lately, and he didn't want any more of them to happen because of something he could do to prevent it. _He's just being himself,_ he thought. _. . .and I'm getting angry. I need to get this anger out of me. . . Just like Yuugi showed me - but mostly for Kaiba - in the last of the Battle City semi-finals when he dueled Kaiba: One cannot win if their heart is full of hatred._

The madam sighed. "Hai. . . but be back before the end of class this time, will you?"

Jou nodded, and stood up, flashing his friends an agitated look while cocking his head towards Kaiba, and walked out the door. _That was close. . . Any more abuse like that, and I woulda decked him. . . I don't need another month's worth of detention. Especially after the fact that I just HAD a month's worth of detentions. . ._ He cringed in silence. _. . .and. . . a month's worth of. . . **that**. . . because of my tardiness back home. . . NO! I don't need to be thinking about that! Think of Shizuka instead!_

Kaiba frowned at his back before his friends' various gazes caught his own. He silently sneered back at them and returned to his studies - not that he really needed to focus very hard on them. He'd already learned it all when he was about ten years old.

Ten minutes later, a weary blonde reentered the classroom and plunked down in his seat. His knuckles were red and a little sore-looking, and his fiery gaze seemed more under control.

"It's about time you got back. Can you please read the section from Chapter 12, Section 3?"

Nodding once, Jou read aloud, and his voice - but not his words - caught Kaiba's attention. His voice held a fake - but plausible - degree of interest in the book of American history, but the masked undertones told just how bored the blonde was.

_Speaking of "blonde". . ._ Seto found the sudden urge in his veins to reach out and pet those silky-looking strands, and he willed his gaze away from the side of Jounouchi's face. He glanced down at the text, not at all interested - because he already knew the important stuff of America's history, the wars undergone and the lessons from the outcomes - and proceeded to gaze out the window, his fist the perch for his jaw. Distantly, Jou's soothing voice resounded in his head, and he found his thoughts drifting to disorder.

Jou's smiling face showed up behind his sightless blue eyes, his lightly-tanned face glowing with joy as he played with a leashed dog at the park. Next, he focused in on his face one time while they were both at the beach. The blonde didn't know that Kaiba was there at all, and he thoughtlessly imagined the feel of the blonde's skin beneath his fingertips, and how the pup's lips would feel against his own. . . or elsewhere on his own body, for that matter.

He flushed a minute amount of pink before banishing it with thoughts of Kaiba Corporation, and how things were running: smooth as ever... Just so long as none of the dumbass employees screwed it up again. If they did, he would certainly fire their asses all the way to Antarctica, and leave them stranded to freeze to death. He had no use for mistakes.

However, the idea of firing people all the way to that icy continent was enough to make him smirk again. After all, since HE was President of Kaiba Corp., he COULD do it, too. He could MAKE it happen.

Eventually, the bell rang, and in a collective fashion, the brunette gathered his things into his briefcase, snatched it up, and walked out the door. Outside of the school, he heard a, "Oi, Okanefukuro!"

Kaiba turned around, his blue trench coat billowing out behind him. His smirk was still visible. "Koinu?" he greeted.

_I was just gonna ask 'im a simple question! Jeez!_

However, the rational part of his brain retorted,_ But you just called him Money-Bags! He has a strange right to call you a puppy!_

Jou's eyes ignited again, and he shouted vehemently, "Teme--! Ore wa teme-- no ge--mu no BYO--TO de aru!" His lips curled back in a snarl. "Soshite ore no chikaku ni aritai to omo wa na kattara soshite cho--do ore ni JIGOKU wo hotte okinasai!" With that, and a glare on his whole face, he power-walked the other way, book bag slung over one shoulder.

Kaiba Seto stared at the pup's retreating back with emotionless eyes, but inside, he felt fairly bad for making Jou react in THAT way. Sure, he was expecting a shouting match, but he didn't expect THIS..._ I can't just leave you alone. . . it's not that you can't handle yourself. . . I. . . need to be near you. You're more than an outlet for my anger. If only you knew the truth behind me. . . Katsuya. . ._ Shaking his head slightly and glaring at his audience, he walked to his black limousine and yanked open the door. "Home," he clipped at the driver, and he received a clipped affirmative.

Seto took to staring out the window, but he didn't actually look at anything, and only saw the blonde's angry face._ Katsuya. . . I swear to you, I will make you see. . ._

_

* * *

Icy bastard can't even treat me with respect! I came in third in Duelist Kingdom and only came in fourth in Battle City because of Marik and when I lost to Kaiba! Hell, it's not like I ORIGINALLY did anything to piss him off and make him treat me like this! _"Aaaarrrgh! I HATE Kaiba! He's so friggin' annoying!" suddenly shouted Katsuya, flinging his arms into the air for his own emphasis. "Ore wa ore ni taishite, kare NANIKA motana kerebanara nai chikau! Mata wa. . . inu. " He paused mid-stride, frowned, and thought a moment. _What's with the dog comments, anyway! Was it because of Otogi when he made me dress in that damn dog suit? . . .Nah, he's been callin' me a dog long since before then._ He resumed walking. _. . .But. . . why?_ Frowning slightly, the most he could do about the question was draw up a blank answer_. Dammit. . . I need more hints. . . more clues. . . if I wanna solve THIS puzzle. . ._

Coming up to his house, he sneaked in quietly and closed and locked to door to his room once he got inside. Dumping his book bag on the ground, he glanced at the window to make sure that it was closed, Jounouchi then yanked off his purple-blue jacket, revealing his white t-shirt. He then worked at his sneakers before going to his disarrayed dresser and yanking a long blue pair of shorts and a loose gray tank top. Hesitating for a moment, he quickly yanked off his shirt without looking at himself - knowing what injuries lay hidden underneath the cotton - and tugged the tank top right over his form. He didn't hesitate to shed his pants and hastily pulled on the shorts.

Now comfortable, he flopped quietly down on his not-too-shabby bed and returned to his thoughts. _Okay. . . time for a rehearsal of what I DO know. One, he calls me "puppy", "dog", and "mutt" a LOT. Two, he hates my guts. Three, he thinks I suck at Duel Monsters. Four, he thinks I suck at EVERY GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED! Fifth, it doesn't seem like he has a girlfriend, let alone enough TIME for one with his busy schedule..._

_Wait, why am I thinking about whether or not he has a girlfriend or not!_

_Tonikaku, Sixth. . . he likes to embarrass me, and he almost always tends to. The other times are with Yuugi, and Kaiba only managed to do that once. Seventh. . . Besides Yuugi, he only targets. . ._ He paused and stiffened slightly. _. . .me, really. So. . ._ He looked at the ceiling. _. . .um. . . yeah. I think that's all. . . that I know, I mean._

He stiffened as the door opened, then closed, and disoriented footsteps echoed downstairs. Quietly, Jou sat on the edge of his bed and pulled on his shoes just in case he had to run away, snagged his book bag, and scrambled back toward the window, opening it wide.

"KATSUYA! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" came a slurred voice from the next room.

_Oh, goody. He's drunk again. He's MUCH more pleasant when he's sober! I needta get outta here!_ He got onto the open windowsill just as his father entered. As his dad lunged, he jumped - from the second story - and landed on his feet in a crouching position. He was SO glad that their apartment was on the second floor!

"Y'ASSHOLE! GEBBACK 'ERE DIS INSTANT!"

Jou then dashed down the block and came upon Honda's house. Rapping on the door, his mother opened it. "Hi, Jou. Here to see Hiroto again?" The woman was a dark brunette and the locks of hair draped across her shoulders. Thick eyelashes accented her bright brown eyes as she smiled. She loved it when Jou came over, and he was never a burden to her.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I was wondering if I could spend the night."

"Did you dad _okay_ it?"

Katsuya nodded. "Hai. He did." _Not! But I haven't the choice to return home until he clears his head._

"Come on in, then." She called, "Hiroto! Jou's here! Get you butt offa the floor and your eyes offa those games and come greet him! He's staying the night!"

"Thank you." Walking inside, he took off his shoes at the door and collapsed onto one of the soft rocking chairs that they had. He pulled out his homework binder - he actually WAS a good student with English and Math - and began on his English stuff just as Honda came from down the hallway to the small living room.

"Hey, Jou. What's up?"

"The usual back at home," he replied, finishing the first question and starting the second. He had told the brunette before that his dad got drunk and that he didn't like it when his dad got that way, so he would go down to either his or Yuugi's house to escape the wrath. But, he never mentioned the wrath, just that his dad was drunk again. "The usual back at home." meant to Honda and Yuugi: "My dad's drunk AGAIN." "I figured that while you were playing games, that I would tackle some of the easy stuff."

"What? English? Easy! Do they even belong in the same sentence! I have a hard time enough with Japanese!"

"English, while difficult at times, can be easy if you think of it as entertaining. For instance, imagine that you could, say, out-word Pegasus!"

"Ah. . . I think I understand. Basically, the trick is to make whatever you're doing amusing somehow?"

Jou grinned. "Aa." _But I like English, so it's easy to understand. I don't even HAVE to make it amusing. The things for jokes that they use: Slang and Puns. Jeez. I even hear that some of the porn-heads like to make fun of the word "come"._ He flushed slightly. _Waaa! Why am I thinking like THAT! 'ttaku!_

"Um, dude, are you okay? Your face is like, totally tomato-red!"

The blonde nodded. "Aa, aa. I'm fine. Just thinkin' 'bout the strange ways that Americans use their own words. It's really crude."

"Huh? Like what?"

"Like the multiple uses for the word come. It ain't just a command anymore," deadpanned the blonde. Then he chuckled as Hiroto's face lit up with a sneaky grin, and he calmed instantly. "No, Honda. I didn't find a girlfriend."

Hiroto's face fell and he pushed back a stray strand of brown hair - which wasn't out in its normal spike since it was after school - from out of his face. He huffed slightly - like a dog would when it's exasperated - and flopped down on the floor. "You about done yet?"

"I just got started, but since I'm so good, I should be done soon."

"Soon. . . it's always soon, and you never get done until late night!"

"So what if I like to be a little bit on the exact side!"

_Exact. . .!_ Giving his friend a teasing stare, he retorted, "Oh, you just wanna up your grades so that you can get that Beramoto Aki brainiac girl's attention!"

Beramoto Aki was a Junior-class at Domino High, and she always got her grades around the top five. Rumor has it, she's never been in sixth rank. Always five, four, or so on.

Blushing, Jou retorted curtly, "Something like that." He willed some of his blush away. "I like English. Is that wrong?. . . Wait. Stupid question. Don't answer that." _Speaking of smart people. . ._ Kaiba's cocky face flashed in his mind's eye, and he mentally waved at it to go away as his blush heated up again. _I think not. I don't need to be thinking about my rival. . . but sometimes, I wish we weren't. . ._

Honda stared. ". . ." _He likes someone, but I've never seen him blush so MUCH in such a SHORT amount of time! He must really have the hots for this one. . . Anyway, I hope she's a great catch. Jounouchi isn't the kind of guy that deserves his heart broken. . ._ Silently, Hiroto got out his homework, too, intending to get any help he might need for his assignments. _In the meantime, I can see if I can figure out who it is that has captivated him so much._

* * *

Seto neatly brought out his supplies for his English class and blinked when the sight of blond hair greeted his icy eyes. _. . .He's. . . early for first period. . ._ he thought in awe. _That's a first._

"You gonna stare at me all day, Kaiba, or is it that yer happy t'see me?" Jou asked without turning his head. He scribbled something down before furiously erasing it and trying again. _Can the questions get any MORE confusing!_ he silently demanded the 3/4-finished paper in front of him.

Kaiba glared. "Don't think too highly of yourself, mutt."

Jou set down his pencil and turned around, a smirk gracing his lips. He crossed his feet at the ankles absently as he leaned back in his chair. His hair fell into his face, but he paid it no mind, and his eyes shone with keen intelligence and fire that usually was only sparked by fun or challenging games and screaming matches. "I have reason to. I may not be the best at everything, but even **I** have my talents. Just last week, I got second-to-highest ranking on the English test. Knew most of the answers cold." _And Aki wouldn't shut up about it all day after that._

Covering up a stare of shock, he turned it into boredom. He had forgotten to look for anyone else's name except his own, and hadn't recognized Jou's name right below his. Big shocker, but he vaguely remembered a girl named Beramoto Aki griping about it for quite some time. ". . .Really?"

The blonde nodded once, grinning broadly. He hadn't missed the surprised look on Kaiba's face at all. "Of course I did. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to study after I spent the night at Yuugi's." He frowned to himself then, and looked down at his desk. _. . .I know I'm proud of these high scores, but why am I being civil to KAIBA of all people! Shouldn't I be sneering in his face just like he does to me!_ Picking up his pencil, Jou twirled it idly. _. . .Maybe it's because I don't want to be like Kaiba. . ._ He began to write again.

_Of course it is!_ the little voice in his head thought back. _Especially since you don't want him as a rival! You're in L-_

Jou stopped mid-sentence on the paper and gripped the pencil tightly in his fist, oblivious to the snapping noise and his new one-person audience that had blue eyes. _SHUT UP! Okay, no more coffee for you! I am SO not thinking of the "L" word!_

Coming out of his trance, the blonde blinked at his broken pencil. _How did THAT happen. . .?_ He frowned, chucked the remains into a slot in his book bag, and pulled out a fresh one. _Jeez, even **I** should know that the little voices in people's heads are usually right. Okay, fine, even if I DO like him, I can't tell him! He'd exploit my "weakness" and display it all around school! I don't want THAT kind of publicity! _

_Then again, Kaiba wouldn't want that kind of publicity, either!_

Kaiba stared in silence. The dog seemed lost in thought, and with conflicting emotions on his face. He scrawled out a note and folded it up. "Pup?"

"Huh?" he replied, letting his eyes stray to the brunette.

For a moment, Kaiba closed his eyes, opened them after coming to a conclusion, wrote something down, and then he flicked the folded sheet of paper the boy's way. He caught it mid-flight and pulled it open. It read: "Sakura ni yotte gakko-- no ato no boku ni, auinasai."

_That old thing?_ thought Katsuya. _No one really goes there anymore because it's out of the way. I HAVE seen a few couples here and there having make-out sessions there, though._

_I hope he accepts. At least this way I won't have to worry about anyone trying to mess with my reputation. . . and I won't have to worry about people seeing if Katsu' doesn't want them to._

With a resigned sigh, Jou wrote down a reply and tossed it to his side. The paper slid across the desk only to be scooped up by an agile hand. Opening the folded piece of paper, it read, "Sure. Whatever. This had better not be some ploy to get me to drop my guard and embarrass me later."

Seto wrote something in reply, passing it to Jou. It read, "It will be worth your time, I assure you."

* * *

When the final bell rang, Jou quickly grabbed his things and marched off to his locker. He got out the book for his history homework, did a quick double-check - found that he forgot his favorite, personal art supplies and shoved them into his bag - and marched outside. Taking one big breath of fresh air to settle whatever nerves had been riled up, he took a right turn at the side of the school and walked forward, through some of the other trees.

In the small clearing, there sat Seto Kaiba, his eyes closed, and he seemed to be asleep. A slight draft from the mid-fall sky tugged at his mahogany bangs, moving them slightly around his forehead. _He looks. . . no, no, NO! I can't be thinking like this! And yet. . . the thoughts come so smoothly. . . and without my knowing it. . . so. . . it's gotta be. . . but. . ._ Taking another step forward before crouching down before the CEO, he murmured, ". . .Kaiba?"

Opening one eye, Kaiba replied, "Yes?"

_Your hair looks soft. I wanna run my hands through it. . ._ "What did you want me here for? Especially in THIS place, of all of the other possibilities?" _One would think that we were now a couple that's meeting up in secret only to whisper sweet nothings and make-out._ He stifled a snicker, but couldn't stop the grin that would have accompanied it..

Kaiba opened his other eye, sat up a little more and stretched a moment. He folded his arms against his chest, his cobalt eyes brightening a little in curiosity. _What's he thinking about to make him look so. . . happy. . .?_ ". . ."

* * *

Is it good? Did it suck? What needs to be improved? What needs to be left in, added or removed? As long as it's not a flame with bad spelling, I'll try my best to accept flames. Comments and friendly critiques are welcome.

Here is Jou's 5-day-a-week schedule I made up:

Hour 1: Advanced English. Hour 2: Algebra 2. Hour 3: Painting. - Lunch - Hour 4: Homeroom. Hour 5: American History. Classes start at roughly 7:30 in the morning and end around 1PM. I know it's not totally consistent with the manga, but will you just bear with me? (It's the time that my school starts, but it ends at 2:36).

Time Frame is about halfway through October. It is currently Thursday.

Personally, I'm really good in English - am writing an original story off and on - and I read even better. I've got fair grades in Math, and most say I'm a great artist with anime (I've even drawn Jounouchi a few times, but Kaiba's kinda hard to draw. . .) and am doing a doujinshi of my own (mostly in English). I SUCK at history. I think it's absolutely horrid AND boring and I don't care about it. Good thing I only have to suffer through one or two more classes of it this coming year. . . ugh, I HATE it...

AGAIN,

Well, with the help of Babel Fish, I managed to have my Japanese sentences make some semblance to sense to all those critics out there. I apologize NOW for any errors from now on, as I have the intelligence of a 3-year-old when it comes to Japanese punctuation.

Itai kore wa...! What the...!

Chotto, koinu. Teme-- no hashi wo shitsutta, mata wa okubyo--monode aru ka. Hey, puppy. Have you lost your edge, or are you a coward?

Ore wa teme-- no ge--mu no tsukareteiru. Saisho-- wo iu tame ni sore wa taikutsushiteiru. I'm getting tired of your games. It's boring, to say the least.

Oi, Okanefukuro! Hey, Money-Bags!

Teme--! Ore wa teme-- no ge--mu no BYO--TO de aru! Soshite ore no chikaku ni aritai to omo wa na kattara soshite cho--do ore ni JIGOKU wo hotte okinasai! Asshole! I'm SICK of your games! And if you don't want to be near me, then just leave me the HELL alone!

Ore wa ore ni taishite, kare NANIKA motana kerebanara nai chikau! Mata wa... inu. I swear, he must have SOMETHING against me! Or... dogs.

Tonikaku Anyway

Aa. Yeah.

'ttaku Sheesh/Mattaku Really

Sakura ni yotte gakko-- no ato no boku ni, auinasai. See me after school, by the sakura (cherry blossom) tree.

April 10, 2005

I have up to chapter 4 written. If there is even a single person that wants to read more, please comment, and I'll update.

Chapter 5 is in progress. . .


	2. Chapter 2

Started: 7/10/04 Finished: 7/16/04 Revision dates: 8/11/04

Was listening to "Black Wing" some more. It's got a nice rhythm, but that's just my opinion. Maybe I'll listen to "The Month When it Appears in the Water" from the same PC game. Also been listening to the opening theme of "Wings Innocent": "In the Wings". It sounds so happy, and I like how Ren and Rin look like! Opposing angels! Oh, all the characters are soooo hot/kawaii! Oh, did anyone ever know that Jou's mother's Japanese name is "Kawaii"? I sure didn't! At least, I'm pretty sure that's what she's called.

The stupid computer just HAD to crash while I was first writing this and I couldn't get internet access on our new one until the last minute for my auction. Then, I got the YGO PC game! Yayyy! And now, I got a brand new compy! Sayonara, Mr. Compy, and HE---LLOO Mr. Compy Jr.!

What? The link doesn't work? (tests it) It works just fine... Oh, is it because of the lack of the double "/" when I uploaded the chapter... as well as the strange curl mark "" ?... Come to think of it, a lot of the double exclamation points/question marks are gone when I upload it... Grrr... Okay, well, I'll try to contact those of you that want to see the site and give you the correct URL, because though the site is kind of small, it's nice to look at and see the artwork.

Oh, okay about the Japanese. I understand that on the last chapter, I went a little overboard. There are only 3 new Japanese phrases in this chapter, and at most, they are 3 words long.

* * *

Love Through a Portrait 

By Kurohi Tatsaki

Chapter 2 - Is There Something On My Face?

* * *

Kaiba paused a moment. "First of all, what is it that has you so exhilarated?" _Not that the look doesn't suit you... You look so... appealing when you're happy._

Jou didn't stop smiling. "Nah. Just your choice of location struck me as ironic. I expected you to drag me into an alleyway and then do whatever you had planned. Not pull me into the school's favorite kissing grounds."

The billionaire seemed distant a moment as he looked away, which was alarming, because he didn't have a snappy reply.

The blonde's brown eyes narrowed in concern. ". . .Kaiba? Daijo--bu desu ka?"

Kaiba blinked up at him. ". . .Excuse me. I have a proposition for you."

Jou pursed his lips, making him look almost like a pouting dog. "Oh? What's that?"_ What does he want me to do! Polish his shoes and lick up the grim on the soles!_

"Would you like to baby-sit Mokuba while I work during the late afternoons and weekends?"

_Baby-sit Mokuba?_ Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "Eh. . . before I agree, what's the catch?"

_So, he's considering it. . ._ "No catch. I'm just wondering since I don't always have enough time to spend with my brother."

_He seems... sincere enough. . ._ "As long as there aren't any surprise catches, then, it's a deal. I'll play with Mokuba. Hell, he's a great kid," said Jou, winking. _Plus, it'll distract me from the loneliness of not being able to see Shizuka whenever I want to. Why did mom have to drag her all the way to America!_

Kaiba stood up. "Can you start today?"_ I suppose I could pay you, too. If you can manage to do a better job than my other employees, you'd better be careful of his pranks. . . AND the fact that he likes to sneak off._

Jou glanced at his watch for a second; then nodded. "Aa. As long as I get back home before eight tonight."

". . ." The 16-year-old stood up, briefcase in hand. "All right then. Let's go. . ." _. . .pup,_ he finished mentally. "We'll take my limo' to my estate." He flipped out a cell phone and punched in a speed dial.

Hai, Kaiba-sama?

"Bring the limo' to the front of the school immediately."

Hai. Is there anything else, Kaiba-sama?

"That will be all."

The line went dead.

Hanging up as well, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked up at Jou. "Our ride will be here momentarily. I expect you have everything?"

Jou nodded before looking away, back to the tree that the other boy had been sitting under. _I wonder. . . if he feels the same about me? Heh. I know that hoping for it is way beyond crazy, but, one can dream, can't they?_ His eyes narrowed just a little with melancholy. _. . .First loves are a pain in the ass, aren't they? They never seem to return your feelings, and they're always so confusing. . . Especially with Kaiba. . ._ He shoved his hands into his pockets, as they were getting a little cold. _I doubt I'll EVER be able to understand him, no matter how much I want to._

The limousine pulled up at the curb. "Jou?" Kaiba turned to look at the blonde. The shorter boy had his back to him, and seemed to be looking at the cherry blossom tree.

_. . .I'm probably stupid to even have this crush on him. I mean, after all, he probably has one of his fan-girls as a secret girlfriend. Let alone the fact that he could never love a "dog" like me._ He frowned slightly.

Cautiously, Seto stepped up to beside the street-smart boy. He didn't dare touch him, as his brown eyes seemed out of focus. ". . .Jou?"

_. . .It's just wishful thinking, but I wish that he'd feel the same about me. . . Seto. . ._ His eyes closed against the sweet sorrow.

Throwing caution to the wind at Katsuya's visible distress, he touched the other boy's arm. "Jounouchi-kun!"

Snapping out of his gaze with a violent start, his fist swung of its own accord, and by sheer instant recognition, his fist stopped millimeters from the billionaire's face. His brown eyes widened and he stumbled back, looking embarrassed. "Na-Nani. . .?"

Arching an eyebrow for a moment, "Our ride's here," he replied as he went over to the limousine, opening the door before sliding in to the left window seat. Jou scrambled in and closed the door behind him, fastening his seat belt out of habit. "Driver. Home."

"Yes, Sir."

Kaiba pulled out his laptop from his briefcase and started on his amazingly easy homework, thanks to or no thanks to Kaiba Gozaburo. The creep. . . He glanced at Jou before he became too immersed in it and said, "I'd get some of your work done, if I were you. You'll have a bit of a long day, keeping my brother busy." He paused. "Oh, by the way. I'm paying you."

Jou frowned. "You don't have to. Just playing around with Mokuba's nice enough. . . though, it would be nice to be able to spend a buck or two on myself for a change. . ." He blinked. _Uh oh. Now, Kaiba's gonna wanna know what I mean by that!_

Sure enough, Kaiba's face gave a brief flicker of disbelief. "What do you mean?"

Uncomfortable, the blonde beauty looked at his worn sneakers. He needed a new pair since two months ago when a hole began to wear into the right sole. Plus, his feet were starting to get cramped. . . a little. Acting casual, he replied, "Oh, nothing more than paying off my dad's debts all the damn time. With debts THAT long in numbers, I wonder how I even manage to keep food in the house." Speaking of food, his stomach growled loudly. He chuckled. _I'm lucky even if I manage a few loafs of bread and some packages of instant ramen. Mmmm. . . ramen._ Rummaging through his book bag, he pulled out his English homework. It was an essay question about your favorite people/person. _. . .Easy enough. This'll be done before I know it!_

Pulling out his pencil, he began to write. Halfway through, the dark car came to a halt, and he looked up, his stomach growling plaintively. "We there yet?" _But I'm not done yet. . ._ he mentally complained.

Kaiba closed up his things. "Of course we're there yet. My driver knows every route home, and he knows which ones take the shortest and longest amount of time, and which ones are the most efficient to suit the weather, and so on. Of course, I can't expect a dog like you to always remember details like that."

"Cut it out with the mutt comments!" Jou grumbled, grabbing his stuff and hopping out where Kaiba had left the door open. "They're annoying, more than anything!" _But, if he WEREN'T always making those comments, he wouldn't be the Kaiba I know and . .. CRAP! I KNOW how that phrase goes! Jeez. . . Why do some of the more popular sayings always have the word "love" at the end! Stupid "L" word!_

He looked up just before he walked into the mansion's gate wall, getting his face smashed and falling on his ass, dropping his homework in a scattered mess. "Aw, SHIT!" As he scrambled to get his belongings, he didn't notice when Kaiba picked up his essay and started looking at it with bored blue eyes. It went on first about the importance of friendship to the human being, and then he went on about how Yuugi was a prime example, and how his life changed when he met the kid. It then mentioned Honda Hiroto and how good pals they were and still are. The fourth paragraph started up with. . . Kaiba Seto(!) but he hadn't even gotten past the first sentence.

"What IS this crap for English homework, mutt? To think that I am your friend?" he asked snidely, tossing the paper back at the blonde, the white sheet plastering itself to the boy's face in the breeze.--

"ACK!"

"Now get your things and get your lazy ass off the ground. I'm running behind schedule because of your lethargy." Without further words, Kaiba began to go inside his house without his brother's new "baby-sitter".

Jou frowned at the stinging words and yanked the paper off his face. _Bakayaro--._ On normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been fazed at all. But now that he acknowledged his feelings for the CEO, the cold words hurt all the more, the more his love grew. Jou frowned. "Dammit all. . ." He stood up, quickly collected himself, and made his way into the mansion only to be crushed by a hug half his size, knocking him back down onto the cement, and he gave a dog-like yelp. He was fortunate that he only landed on his bum. "M-Mokuba! Don't DO that!" he retorted to the dark-haired boy on his lap. He held his chest, feeling his heart pound. "You scared the CRAP outta me! Jeez!"

"I missed you! Is that bad!" the boy retorted looking up with his big blue eyes.

"No, no!" he replied, waving his hands in a defensive gesture. "Nothin' wrong with that! Just try to lay off tackling me into the cement. Rough-housing's fine with me, but just in a clear room with carpet or in the grass outside, ne?" He winked.

Mokuba grinned widely. "'kay!"

"Now get off me so I can get up here. I need ta eat first before we play, 'r else I won't be much of a challenge, and we don't want that, do we?" He ruffled the boy's long hair and got to his feet as soon as the younger boy got off him. He stopped himself in the doorway to take off his shoes so that he wouldn't follow his home-habit: Keep the shoes on and only take them off in his room.

Walking around in his only pair of hole-less white socks, he looked around the mansion as if for the first time even though he'd already been there before when Mokuba poisoned him.

"You've been here before, Jou-kun. Why are you looking around like that again?" asked said child criminal, but he was reformed for a long time, and even now, so he wasn't TOO big a threat.

"My memory's been just a little sketchy of this place ever since I first came here with Yuugi," he replied, his stomach giving a loud protest due to its emptiness and memory of the - though poisoned - food that he had devoured back then. It hated having to resort to eating itself. Jou didn't like it, either. It hurt like hell! "Unless I take to memorizing where I'm at and where I'm going, chances are that I'm gonna get lost. . . repeatedly."

"That's what a map's for, silly! I'll get you one right now! You just get something in your stomach! It's driving me nuts with all it's growling!"

Just then, Jou's stomach growled again, insistent as ever.

"Aaaugggh! Shut it off! Shut it off!" screamed Mokuba, giggling right afterwards as he ran down one of the "endless" hallways.

Katsuya snickered and looked around for a place to put his stuff. Seeing this, Seto jerked his head down the opposite hallway. "At the very last, center-most door, there's an entertainment center. You can put your things there, since I doubt that you'll have any use for the study. As long as you don't eat me out of house and home, I suppose you can find something to munch on in the kitchen. If my servants question your presence, you have my permission - unless it's an hour 'til dinnertime, in which case, you don't - to tell them to mind their own business while you mind yours."

The blonde nodded. "M'kay."

Mokuba came back with the map, and then scowled at his big brother for a moment before smiling at the blonde. "C'mon, Jou-kun! Let's go eat!"

Dragging the blonde into the kitchen, said blonde smiled as he saw a box on the counter. "DOUGHNUTS!" Dashing up to them, he grabbed hold of a chocolate one and started munching on it happily, some of the chocolate going onto the corner of his lips.

"Heh heh. You like, ne?"

"Mmmm. . ." He nodded enthusiastically. He swallowed the big bite and replied, "Yeah. Chocolate doughnuts are the best! I mean, come on! Who DOESN'T like chocolate! Have t'be CRAZY t'hate it!" He quickly finished it and looked at the empty box. No surprise that he'd gotten the last one. ". . .Okay, now that my stomach's fine for now, how 'bout some games and maybe we finish homework?"

"YOU! Do HOMEWORK! Aw, this is rich!" Mokuba burst into a fit of giggles.

Jou frowned, some chocolate still on the side of his mouth and chin, and replied, "I get passing grades, thank you very much. I got second in the English test last week and my math ain't so crappy, either. I'm in Algebra 2, y'know!"

Mokuba giggled a bit more. "Okay, okay! I-It's just... y-you have some chocolate on your face!"

Jou's tongue poked out and ran across his lips before finding the mess and licking it up quickly. "Yum." He smiled.

"You should consider becoming a comedian!"

"I'm THAT funny! Jeez, why didn't ya tell me earlier that I'm a classic!" he retorted, grinning widely.

"Don't get mad at ME!" the younger boy mock-replied. "I just haven't seen your humorous side too often, y'know!"

Jou seemed thoughtful a moment. ". . .How about we do homework first so that we definitely get it done, and then we can play the rest of the time?"

"As much as I hate it, it sounds like a plan," Mokuba replied glumly. "I'll go get my homework. You can wait in the game room."

With that, Jou gripped his book bag's strap and marched out of the kitchen and into the entertainment room. Plunking down on a couch, he pulled out a pencil and his Advanced English homework. He hesitated a moment before writing further about Kaiba, as the grand finale of his paper.

Within moments, he was done, and he shoved the paper into a folder in his pack. He was glad that they had homeroom right after lunch. It meant that he had even more time to get stuff done, and in this case, he already finished his Algebra 2 work, and he only had to finish a reading assignment in American History - and he was already 3/4 done with it.

He opened to the page and started reading, trying to pay attention to important dates among other things. _Iya na kanji. . . I wonder where Mokuba is. . .? One would think that he'd know the way around his own house. . ._

"Okies, Jou-kun! I have my homework out."

Jou looked up and grinned. Mokuba stood with a big math book in his arms. "'bout time y'got back here. . . Math?"

"Long division." Dark blue eyes looked up helplessly. "Can you help?"

The blonde nodded and ushered the boy to sit next to him so they would work without discomfort. "Yeah. It's just as easy as multiplication, actually. You basically. . ."

* * *

While Mokuba was occupied with his homework, the blonde pulled out many sheets of computer paper - some used before, others new - an eraser, and a pencil. He stared at several failed sketch attempts - based wholly on memory - and sighed quietly. _Dammit. . . something's ALWAYS off each time I draw him! I can't place it... and there's that deadline soon, too. . ._

The younger Kaiba heard, though. "Do-- shita no, Jou-kun?"

The blonde looked up into dark blue eyes. ". . .Nothing overly big. . . It's just that there's an assignment that I have to do, but, I haven't the idea how to flawlessly capture what I want to do."

"A piece of artwork?" the 12-year-old asked.

The 17-year-old jolted slightly before calming. "Aa. . ." He smiled slightly. "Problem is, I only know how to sketch it out by memory, and when I look back at the real things, details are off - where, I can't place - and I want to make them accurate to the best of my abilities."

The boy smiled knowingly. "Is it my brother you wanna paint?"

"GAAH!" Jou jumped with a start before chuckling, and then sighing. "Yeah. . . It's your brother. . . but that's not all. I wanna paint the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in there, too. Problem is, I can't get the body to shift as I want it. . ."

"I could ask my brother to model for you. . ."

His face burned pink. "Eh! No, no. I want to pose to be natural, is all," he replied, a little flustered. "Like when someone takes a picture but the subject isn't aware of it. That kinda thing."

Mokuba glanced down at his now-finished homework before shoving it into the book and closing it with a small thud. "I guess. I think we can bother him right now. It's almost dinner, and I know that even when he works himself to death, he still winds up eating with some of my prodding." He suddenly grinned. "Plus, with BOTH of us badgering him, he CAN'T say no!"

Jou nodded. "Yeah, just hold on a second. . ." Pencil at the ready, he began another light-lined sketch of Kaiba sitting casually beneath the Blue-Eyes as it rained, leaning against one of the legs. The Blue-Eyes was using its wings as shelter for its master, but something was STILL off. . . ". . .but what is it. . .?" he murmured, then shoved the sketch under the younger Kaiba's short nose. "Something's off, but I can't place it."

Giving it a good look, Mokuba replied, "It needs balance. It needs darkness' dragon with its light wielder to be with Kaiba and the Blue-Eyes."

Jou's eyes lit up. ". . .It makes sense! San kyu, Mokuba-chan!" He grinned. "Now I can get started soon. Just. . . one favor?"

"Nan desu ka?"

"I need to paint Kaiba and his Blue-Eyes separately so I can get everything right. I'll add that you both helped me in my artist statement!"

Mokuba nodded before gesturing at the sketch papers. "Okay, but before doing that, you need to come up with a composition that works. I'd say that you with your Red-Eyes is a perfect match. You both are always bickering, and while my older brother may act like a pain in the ass all the time, your similar attitude reverses it, making his aura dark, and yours light even though you have opposing dragons. Either that, or use the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Take your pick."

_Dragons are complicated creatures, especially when drawing them. . ._ "For starters, one Blue-Eyes. It's all my abilities can manage right now. At least, that's what my brain's telling me." Whipping out another blank sheet, he got started. He re-sketched the previous drawing to a smaller scale and then added himself sitting casually on his Red-Eyes Black Dragon's back, enjoying the rain. _Eh. . . it's. . . okay. . . I guess. . ._

"That looks good," praised Mokuba. "Now, let's go see my oniisama and see what he has to say about it, ne?"

"Aa." Taking the sketches in his hand, his pencil in the other hand, and the white eraser in his pocket, they exited the gaming room and entered one of those "never-ending" hallways. They made a left turn, went down a shorter hall, and then Mokuba knocked on the door.

"Nan da!" Kaiba snapped from within the room. Jou flushed pink with sudden regret at disturbing the older Kaiba, but quickly dispelled it when Mokuba flung open the door.

Seto's original scowl softened to a neutral expression. "Oh, Mokuba. I didn't know it was you and. . . Makeinu?" He raised an eyebrow.

Jou bristled and held back a growl. _I am NOT a defeated dog!_

"Now, now, Jou-kun. . ." Mokuba retorted to the blonde. He stared at his brother. "Jounouchi-kun just wanted to know if he could paint you with your Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It's for school, and I don't know why he'd wanna paint you, what, with all the fights you two get into all the time." _Though, a saying is "the more you fight someone, the more you love that person". Something along those lines._

The brunette arched an eyebrow before glancing back to his terminal. He glanced at the time, and, with a soft sigh, put the thing into sleep mode. He closed the laptop and fixed his attention to the "mutt". "I'm probably going to regret this, but what did you have in mind?" _I didn't know that he is an artist of some sort. . ._

Almost shakily, Jou handed over the "complete" sketch. "The part with the Red-Eyes was Mokuba's idea. . ." he added as Seto looked at the paper with an almost interested expression. "but I'm still not certain about the composition."

"It's good." He hesitated, narrowed his gaze slightly, and then relaxed as he handed the paper back. "Must I model for you during school, or can't we do this in private?"

"Private would be best. That way we both don't have all the attention of our peers. I don't work too well under that kinda stress," the blonde replied, trying not to toe the ground or hold his hands behind his back.

"Then it's settled." He paused. "We can start tonight only if Mokuba. . ." He stared pointedly at his brother. ". . .has actually gotten around to finishing his homework under that sea of games."

"Been taken care of, big brother!" he chirped. "Jou hassled me to, so I got it done!"

Kaiba nodded once. "Then, Jounouchi, do you have what you need?"

The blonde mentally thumbed through what he had. He frowned. "I just need pencil and paper for the sketches right now, which is what I have with me right now, of course. May I work on the final canvas it here, too, since I'll also be watching Mokuba?"

Seto frowned slightly. "I'll think about it. For now, just be glad I'm letting you get started."

Jou nodded. "I am. Thank you."

"For what?"

Jou grinned. "For allowing me to portray you properly. I'll just need some preliminary sketches of you and the Blue-Eyes so I get it right while I'm painting. There's been a strange error lately with all my drawings. . . but I haven't been able to place it. I'm assuming that looking at the real images will help."

Seto glanced back to his sleeping computer before standing up and stretching. The action caused Jou to look at the billionaire with a bit more of a critical, observing eye. He watched how each limb moved to complete such a simple action, and then icy blue eyes met his gaze. "What are you staring at?" he asked, mid-way through stretching his upper body.

Blinking out of his stupor, he replied, "Observing you. The more I am capable of seeing the subject in action, the better I can draw it. It's a skill I realized while looking at trees and such. Even now, I draw things better when I see them first-hand, rather from memory."

"But trees don't move."

"Have you seen them in the wind? Have you ever seen how each leaf shifts and twists as they are hung, suspended, by a simple stem? And have you seen how each leaf is different in various ways, such as size or color?" the blonde retorted, turning around and walking away.

_. . .He's definitely not as dense as I claimed he is._ With that, Kaiba followed the Mutt and closed the door behind him. He had chefs to bark at. _No. . ._ he corrected himself. _Jou does the barking. I do the yelling._

_

* * *

_  
Iya na kanji. I hate this. (If this is wrong, I heard Dee Laytner say it, and that's how it sounded like from the subtitles! So there!) But I'm also aware that "I hate this" might also be "Iya na kore." or something like that.

Nan desu ka? What is it?

Nan da! What is it! (note that this is more of a demand than an innocent question in case that the exclamation point or question mark does not show up.)


	3. Chapter 3

Started: 7/16/04 Finished: 8/23/04

I got the game on the 23th of July. It's a burned copy...! Jeez! Anyway, I also beat the game at 1AM the next day. Since I can't read Japanese, I got a bad ending. I made Jou cry! I didn't MEAN to! And then when I went to KaibaCorp the next two days, the Pharaoh (Yami, of course) came and started talking to me with all this evil music playing. It was sooo creepy, I slept lightly! Jeez, and I only lasted 17 days out of 20, so it's not THAT bad...

A few days ago, I made Kaiba's hair turn GREEN in that game on my second file! Wahahahaha!

* * *

Love Through a Portrait

by Kurohi Tatsaki

Chapter 3 - Rough Draft

* * *

Chopsticks clicked against the table as the handler set them down and leaned back in his seat. "Damn, that was good!" He patted his belly appreciatively. _I could get used to this!_ He grinned and looked to Mokuba. "Hey, Mokuba, I'll play ya a round in Duel Monsters now, or you can watch me draw Kaiba - if he wants that, anyway - and then we can play. What'll it be?" 

"You draw good. I wanna watch!" he chirped.

Jou looked to the older Kaiba, whom looked a bit uncomfortable. He replied, "You can watch him as he draws the Blue-Eyes, okay Mokuba?"

The younger Kaiba smiled. "Okay! I'll see you both in half an hour!"

The blonde glanced at the clock. He had one and a half hours before he had to make a break for it. "Half an hour should be suitable. You go ahead and choose the location, Kaiba. I don't really care where." With that, he pulled his papers and pencil out from the floor where he had set them. He followed the brunette down another hallway until a right turn was made immediately, and he followed. Kaiba opened a door of the double doors and pressed on.

Jou gasped slightly at the extravagant garden surrounding them. The ground was lined cement tiles that had jewels embedded in them. A few of the tiles contained dragons in some sort of pattern. The shrubs were evenly cut, and the few trees that stood out towered over three times his height. Dark-colored flowers adorned the walls and ground, and a tall fountain portraying a Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood, spewing water from its jaws. Its wings were spread out majestically, and Jou knew that he needed to capture such a piece in his drawing somehow. He knew now that the final piece would change. "Sugee, Kaiba..."

"Aa." He stopped by a fountain and looked at it for a moment before turning around to see Jou. He had seated himself along the stone by the hedges and was eyeing him critically for a moment. He then started to sketch the pose that Kaiba was in: Arms crossed in front of his chest and resting against each other, one hand tucked down. His aura emitted power, and with the dragon behind him, Jou felt himself at a loss of adjectives to describe his feelings toward such a presentation.

He finished with Kaiba fairly quickly and started up on the fountain behind him, starting out with the dragon's head and working his way down. He soon finished and he stood up, snagging another page from behind the first. He approached the fountain and looked up at the magnificent dragon, his eyes wide in awe. He soon got to work on its face, marking it with intricate detail.

Kaiba watched him intently as the pencil flew over the paper, and before he knew it, Jou was looking back at him, his eyes moving slightly. "Nani?" he asked, one of his eyebrows arching.

Jou blinked out of whatever stupor he had brought himself into and the pencil graced the paper again, glancing back at him on occasion. When he finished, Kaiba sidled up next to the other teen. It was a near-perfect depiction of his earlier curiosity. The drawing stopped at his shoulders.

"You should be a professional," he commented tonelessly.

The blonde jolted and looked up, - since he was a few inches shorter than Kaiba - curious as well as wary. "H-Hontou ni?"

Seto nodded once. "Consider it."

Jou smiled when he realized that the other boy might be serious. "I will." He blinked as Seto shuffled slightly closer, and he looked up at him a bit more. Warm honey-brown eyes met ice-blue ones, and he didn't know what to think. His heart beat faster and it was everything he could do not to go with the flow. "K-Kaiba...?"

_Kiss him! C'mon, you know you wanna..._ Suddenly, Seto turned around, walked over to a stone bench, and sat down on it, legs elegantly crossed at the ankles. His head tilted slightly up at him at a cocky angle, and his hands clasped loosely together.

Once again, the blonde got back to work, if only to calm himself.

Seto watched back, his mask in place. He watched the puppy as he made not-so-meaningless marks on the page, his arm moving with his hand. He knew that that hand was retracing lines and occasionally erasing others. And sometimes, Jou would look up for a brief period to reinforce his depiction.

* * *

A young teen ran outside to the duo and stopped at the blonde. "Hey, Jou! How's it coming!" _Amazing! They haven't killed each other yet!_

The honey-eyed boy looked up at the younger Kaiba before grinning from his spot on the Blue-Eyes fountain. "Smoothly. Just give me a sec, and then I can tune up my sketches of the BEWD."

Mokuba Kaiba nodded once. "'kay!" He paused. "Wait, didn't you say that you would draw the Blue-Eyes while I was around! You big MEANIE!"

Jou frowned. "I can't help it if I go with the flow of my drawings." His eyes warmed. "If anything, the drawings are the boss, and I'm merely following their grace, depicting them on mediums to the best - or worst - of my abilities... And, if anything, the subject is higher than me, because even though I'm drawing it, him, or her, it is so because without it, I usually can't draw worth shit. I can only draw what I see..." He shook his head. "...Never mind. Got lost for a bit. Let's go try with the Blue-Eyes."

Kaiba stretched lithely and casually leaned back against the stone, watching the puppy interact with his brother. The both looked so happy, and Jou's eyes were glowing a dark amber in the fading sunlight_. Also, what he said... He said that he was beneath me... Interesting..._

"...So, here, since I made a mistake, I just draw OVER the mistake like this..." His hand flew over the previous line, taking the tip of lead with it. "...see? So that I know what NOT to do!"

"Yeah, I see it! Is that what all artists do?"

"Depends on their style, but, yeah, most of them do that. Including me, of course," Jou replied, grinning, as he continued drawing the Blue-Eyes fountain. It was nearly finished by the time the other blue-eyed child touched his shoulder.

"Yeah... Hey, can I talk to you a minute? In private?"

Jou blinked. "What for?"

"It's personal. C'mon!" With that, he started to drag the blonde toward a deeper part of the garden.

"Ch-chotto, chotto!" With that, Jounouchi set his sketches down and was promptly dragged again. "I can WALK y'know!" he pouted.

Seto arched one slender eyebrow before looking down to the papers and pencil. Kneeling near them, he picked them up, and slowly rifled through them. The first few were the ones he had drawn today - he even dated them, too - and as he skimmed through the blank sheets, he came to several other sketches. The first one was of Jou and Shizuka as children playing in the sand, their faces alight with joy, as Jou continued to work on the sand castle with Shizuka trying to copy him. The next sketch showed Jou standing in front of his Red-Eyes, drawing a card. It was dated from a week ago. The next drawing... was Kaiba! In the sketch, he was absently looking out the window at school, and it was dated as a drawing from yesterday.

Another sketch was Kaiba perched atop a slightly-flawed Blue-Eyes, the creature looking as menacing as ever, and off to one side, the writing "Kaiba-san and his Blue-Eyes" was written. Kaiba was smirking, as usual, in the picture, and holding up two more Blue-Eyes, a Polymerization card, and his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fusion card in his left hand, his duel disk nowhere to be found. _Must be another jibe or something at the fact I used to be a High Priest 3000 years ago..._

A few other sketches were of Kaiba yelling at Jou or of his other friends. Mai was in one picture – a group shot – that must have been drawn from a picture. And then... there was one more picture.

It was Jou again, covered in bruises, and looking pissed. He was sitting down on a carpet, his chin resting atop his right knee while the other leg lay folded and flat to the ground. His hands held his upright leg. A comment at the bottom read, "The one time I got into a fistfight with Kaiba. I know not to fight him like that, so nowadays, I duel with him instead. I won't admit it to his face but... hey, what am I writing? Someone could be looking at this for all I know! Not cool..."

Seto chuckled. _Oh, how right he is..._

* * *

At that moment, with Mokuba... 

Deep in the garden, Mokuba stopped abruptly and turned to the blonde. "Jou-kun... Do you like my oniisama?"

"Why would you say that?" asked Jou, blushing. "He's all but killed me in the past, and been a real jerk." _Though, his "I am more powerful than you" streak is quite appealing._

"I'd say that because you're blushing whenever I talk about him," the young Kaiba retorted, grinning.

_No duh!_ The blonde frowned. "Ooooi..." he grumbled. _I wouldn't use the "L" word just yet, but, yeah, I like him..._ "...but... yeah, I like your brother," he finished, glancing at the ground.

"Is that why you want to draw him and then perhaps paint it later?"

Pausing a second, Jou nodded once. "Aa." _Come to think of it, I've liked him for a while now... ever since I started doodling him... no, that can't be right... I must have liked him from the beginning, but didn't know it..._ "I think, though, that I'll just focus on Kaiba and his Blue-Eyes as the actual project, and do the other one in my spare time. Something like that. I'm waiting for some inspiration to come and knock me upside the head." He smiled at the thought. _Only problem is that most of the time Inspiration's a real bitch and either doesn't come or comes at the worst times._

The younger brother chuckled. "Okay, okay! Let's go back. I'm sure my oniisan is waiting for us to come back."

"Yeah." _I wonder if he looked at my pictures...? Man, if he did, he must think I'm some kinda stalker...! Ohh, man!_

"Jou, are you okay?"

Honey eyes blinked at dark sapphire. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

They walked back, and Jou noticed the CEO set the pictures down and stare at them strangely for a moment, and he stopped in his tracks. After a moment, Seto looked up, his face indifferent, and Jou managed to move again. He walked over to the pictures and bent over, scooping them up at small bunches at a time. His hand rested on the final one with him beat up, and he hesitated, staring down at it. _I didn't know I still had this here... How'd it get there...? I thought I'd sent it under my bed...?_

"Jounouchi? Daijoubu?"

He blinked out of his stupor, grabbed the picture and righted himself. He nodded after a moment. "...Aa." He paused again and turned to Kaiba after glancing at his watch. He had fifteen minutes to get home. "...Can I please get a ride home? I can't be late..." He frowned slightly at this, but fixed his expression a moment later.

Kaiba nodded and started walking inside, but hesitated at the door. He looked over his shoulder, remembering that he had to go on a business trip on the weekend and was expected to bring a friend. _Bring Jounouchi...?_ "...Jounouchi?"

"Yeah?"

The billionaire took a breath. "Would you like to come with me on a business trip this weekend? I know it'll be boring most of the time, but you won't have to do much during the actual party." He spat the word party and frowned a moment. "However, since it'll be Sunday by then, we should return early.

Obviously confused, the blonde asked, "What about Saturday?"

Reclaiming his sense of security, he replied curtly, "I'll be giving you the rundown about the /party's/ contents at the hotel we'll be staying in."

Jou nodded once. "M'kay. I'll go. But I really need to get home now...!" He sounded urgent and a little panicked.

Frowning, Kaiba asked, "Dou shita?"

The blonde shook his head and gave a weak grin. "Curfew."

The taller boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he didn't do anything else other than drive the pup home.

* * *

Sugee (taken from "sugoi") cool/awesome 


End file.
